Strategic Weapons
"I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth — rocks!" :-Albert Einstein In a world faced with the ever present threat of global war, military spending has paved the way to the creation of a number of weapons of frightening range and destructive power. These weapons are known as Strategic weapons. They are weapons of such power that only individuals of the highest office or rank are trusted with their firing codes. However, the weapons developed by the various factions have a number of problems and shortcomings that prevent their full scale deployment. Military theorists and historians have postulated that if these weapons were ever able to live up to their claims, then civilisation may well be ended in innumerable fireballs, or the world might forever be trapped in a balance of terror, and fear of annihilation. The Allied Nations The Allied Nations have repeatedly stressed their desire for peace, and the hope of living in a world without the need for such weapons. As a result, there were no major developmental efforts to produce weapons of mass destruction. Proton Colliders and the Athena SatNet system were potentially touted as weapons of mass destruction, but their actual deployment was on a far smaller tactical level, as opposed to grandiose city-destroying monstrosities. However, their credibility was somewhat shaken when President Ackerman revealed the existence of the Mount Rushmore complex. The immense spectrum cannon built into the mountainside was supposedly capable of bouncing a spectrum beam off a series of orbiting satellites, and striking any point on the planet. When Ackerman tried to fire the weapon, Allied forces managed to stop the president before the weapon could be fired. The complex currently remains under the highest security that Allied forces can enforce, and calls from the Soviet Union for the deactivation and destruction of the complex have been steadfastly ignored. The Soviet Union The Soviet Union is unquestionably (at least ostensibly) the world leader in rocketry and space exploration. The Baikonur Cosmodrome alone sends up more rockets per week than most of the rest of the world put together. It is therefore unsurprising that they have some of the best long range missile technology around. In Baikonur, and a number of other facilities, a number of R-7 Semyorka rockets permanently sit fueled and ready on their launch pads. Their tips are loaded with the largest Vacuum Imploder warheads that the Soviet Union can place on these missiles. Their existence is well known to the rest of the world, and the Soviets have threatened their use on more than one occasion. Although their range is truly intercontinental, there are a number of flaws concerning these missiles that the Soviet High Command does not publicly advertise. Vaccum imploder warheads do not scale well. The smaller tactical warheads issued to high-ranking battlefield commanders are destructive enough, but to make a warhead more destructive requires an exponentially larger vacuum cell. Indeed, in order to destroy something as large as a city with these warheads, they would have to be so large as to require an entire airship to carry them. A large missile could have no hope of carrying such a large and delicate warhead, and thus the implosive yield of these weapons is not much greater than the tactical variant. This problem is compounded by other limitations of these missiles. The R-7 Semyorka is one of the most expensive and complex devices produced by the Soviet Union, and as a result they are unreliable, and their accuracy at intercontinental ranges is questionable. The only reason they are maintained by the Soviet Union is as a boast, and an international political display of strength. Their actual usage would be far less impressive and cost effective than the Soviet Union would like to admit. The limitations of these missiles have been a major factor in motivating the Union to develop the Hammerhead Ballistic Sub. The Empire of the Rising Sun The Empire truly has no interest in this kind of weapon. To them, striking an enemy at unimaginable distance before they can fight back has the inherent trait of dishonour. Although their psionic technology is frighteningly powerful in a tactical theatre, to unleash psionic attacks on a strategic level would require the collective effort of hundreds of psychics to initiate. The Confederate Revolutionaries The Confederate Revolutionaries have neither the capital, nor the inclination to mount and deploy weaponry on a strategic scale. They are focused on the goal of liberating the United States from “the tyranny of Allied Oppression”, and have little faith in scientific wonder weapons. However, it should be noted that the strength of their seismic resonators is not fully tested, and it may well be that their strategic capabilities are greater than they would admit. The Order of the Talon The Order is a most secretive grouping, and causing destruction on a mass scale would be unlikely to support their goal of destroying the Cult. However, they are in the possession of a number of modified satellites, and would have little quibble with targeting any one of these weapons at a major population centre, if it would allow them to destroy their enemy. The Atomic Kingdom of China The Atomic Kingdom’s full strategic capabilities are unknown; although it is possible they could well have the greatest weapons of mass destruction of any faction. Their atomic technology is clearly able to cause destruction on a vast scale, and their advanced space technology means they may be able to bombard their enemies from orbit. Though they have the capability to release weapons of horrific destructive power, they simply lack the resolve to use such weapons and it is likely that their “Star Fleet” is an asset that they are unwilling to risk testing against Allied and Soviet space forces, for now. The Mediterranean Syndicate Although the Syndicate has no full military presence in orbit, they do possess some potentially devastating weapons. The mass drivers they use to put cargo in orbit could potentially be loaded with ordnance, and used to shell targets on the other side of the globe. However, the Syndicate lacks an explosive powerful enough to make such an endeavour worthwhile (although the kinetic energy alone of such an impact would be devastating). It should be noted that the Syndicate is ultimately a conglomerate of corporations, and not a national power. Engaging in such destruction could do nothing but unite potential enemies against them, and cause them untold loss of profit. As a result they have no interest in deploying their mass driver as a weapon. However, their Weather Manipulation technology is a different story. Ultimately, it allows them to attack a foe, then "blame it on the weather" and appear to have nothing to do with any damage caused. The destructive power of their weather manipulation is, perhaps, not as destructive as other weapons, but a number of the Syndicate’s business rivals have found themselves driven out of business by drought and flood. The Electrical Protectorate It is entirely unknown what the Protectorate’s strategic capabilities are. If their knowledge of Eldritch Abominations is as terrifying as it appears, then they could well be a force to be reckoned with. Other Factions Generally speaking no other powers have the ability to project such destructive power on a global scale. Both Red and Blue China are known to have developed Jade based atomic weapons, however neither has shared the technology with other factions before they had nearly annihilated one another. Neither had the capability to deploy such weapons on a global scale, and were limited to using medium-range bombers to launch such weapons. The only exception to this is the Red Chinese “Armageddon Cannon” of which a mere handful have been equipped with atomic ordnance. Even with such advances, these cannons are a long way off being able to fire such munitions at strategic ranges. Category: Lore